Chapter 018: Movements from All Sides

Boom—
Two masses of golden combat energy collided, with intense gusts of wind exploding continuously. Yet, these forces had no effect whatsoever on each other’s sacred realms.

Francis’s speed seemed to increase exponentially in an instant. Though he merely swung his sword to block the Holy Flame Warrior’s giant sword, countless illusions appeared around him almost simultaneously, as if numerous Francises were together blocking that attack.

Boom—boom—boom—
Countless impacts rang out. Under this single strike, it seemed as though the two had fought countless times. The gray sky and the heavy earth trembled under these impacts. Finally, both parties’ golden combat energies exploded at the same time. With a crack, like shattered glass, countless cracks appeared across their sacred realms. They immediately separated, leaving only their sacred realms pressing against each other.

Francis stepped back several times, filled with rage. His sacred realm allowed him to control time, letting it flow as he wished. Just now, he had swung a hundred swords almost simultaneously yet could only barely block that magical creature’s attack. Although both were at the sacred level, as a Holy Warrior, he couldn’t even deal with a mere magical creature—this filled Francis with fury.

The excitement from mastering combat energy and facing a strong opponent was quickly drowned out by his own pride.

Francis suddenly stepped back several times, causing the gray world around him to shrink slightly. Then, flames ignited on the blood-red rose in his hand, burning fiercely across the gray sky. With a flick of his hand, the flames surged toward the Holy Flame Warrior without him making any visible movement.

The Holy Flame Warrior let out a roar that sounded like a sneer. It also stepped back, but after just one step, a heavy thud echoed in the sky. The flames that had invaded its sacred realm crashed violently to the ground and extinguished instantly!

Finally, the flames vanished completely. The Holy Flame Warrior roared as it raised its giant sword. In a flash, it charged toward Francis’s location.

The heavy earth surged into the gray world, like two pools of differently colored water constantly devouring each other. But this time, the Holy Flame Warrior’s sacred realm seemed to have the upper hand.

Francis seemed to know as well that this move of his wouldn’t be enough to deal with his opponent; the earlier strike was merely to distract them. Now, as he retreated rapidly, all the remaining combat energy in his body concentrated at one point, and the blood-red rose in his hand began to emit a low, rumbling dragon-like sound!
Flames burned everywhere within Francis’s holy realm, turning even the entire sky red!
Prince Fischer was an astute man. Seeing this, he felt a chill in his heart and realized that this Holy Warrior was likely ready to fight to the death. If he was guessing correctly, Francis would soon use his most powerful ultimate move, “Skyfire Mad Dragon”!!!
Prince Fischer remained calm on the surface, but inwardly he was somewhat uneasy. He had thought that even if Francis had reached the Holy rank, he would at most be at the beginner level, never expecting that Francis had already reached the pinnacle of the Holy rank, mastered a holy realm, and was even just one step away from becoming a realm master!
The Holy Flame Warrior summoned by the Holy Angel Guardian was also at the peak of the Holy rank and possessed a holy realm, but after all, it was just a magical creature. It was uncertain whether it could withstand this Silver Sheath Sword Saint’s most powerful ultimate move!
Francis’s momentum was at its peak, with raging flames filling his holy realm, all waiting for his devastating strike. The Holy Flame Warrior seemed to sense Francis’s killing intent as well. Although it continued to roar softly, it had already raised its giant sword in front of it, ready for this earth-shattering move.
But at that moment, Francis suddenly had an idea. His once overwhelming momentum vanished instantly, and soon his holy realm disappeared, his holy combat energy dimming as well. The blood-red rose, which had been poised to strike, simply hung casually at his chest. After doing all this, the Silver Sheath Sword Saint smiled at Prince Fischer and said, “Your Highness… it seems my mission has failed. Continuing to fight is meaningless now…”
Prince Fischer felt a slight stir in his heart. He gave a gesture, and the Holy Flame Warrior, which had been fully prepared, quickly retracted its holy realm and killing intent, moving between Francis and Prince Fischer.
Only after this was done did Prince Fischer slowly stand up and say, “What does this mean, Lord Francis…?”

“Your Highness…” Francis smiled faintly. “Can’t you sense that your rescuers have arrived? Though I, Francis, hold myself in high regard, I don’t think I could escape surrounded by so many skilled opponents… Still, since I didn’t take your life today, the Crown Prince will likely send me to deal with you again. I only hope that by then, Your Highness Fischer will still have as much luck as today…”
As he spoke, Francis’s gaze inadvertently fell behind Prince Fischer.
In the sky, less than a few miles away, several figures had already appeared in midair. Their eyes were fixed on the two of them, carrying an eerie expression.
Additionally, less than a hundred meters away from those figures, another figure floated in the air.
The lead among those figures was dressed in red—it was Anthony. He glanced at the other solitary figure and smiled lightly, saying, “President Edward, what brings you here today? Isn’t the Mage Guild usually indifferent to worldly matters? Why have you come in person today?”
“Oh, it’s Archbishop Anthony in red.” Edward glanced at Anthony from afar, then shifted his gaze to the several cardinals behind him. After a moment, he said calmly, “Archbishop Anthony, isn’t your Holy Church always independent of the secular world? Why are you meddling today as well? And Anthony, it seems the older you get, the more timid you become… Back when we fought, you came alone. Why do you need so many people with you just to stroll outside the capital? Are you afraid of losing your life?”
Anthony’s smile remained unchanged as he replied softly, “It’s inevitable to become timid as one ages… How can I go out without bringing a few people with me? As for President Edward, you’re not young either. Aren’t you afraid you might not be able to return?”
Edward glanced at Anthony, and their eyes met in midair, sparking a series of intense reactions!
After a moment, Edward said calmly, “Archbishop Anthony, I’m not here to argue with you today… You’ll have plenty of time to fight us later. I just suddenly sensed the presence of an old friend, so I couldn’t help but come and check…”
A hint of sarcasm appeared on Anthony’s aged face, but it vanished quickly. He nodded and said, “President Edward, you’re right… We’re just here to take a look too.”

As he spoke, Anthony’s gaze shifted to Francis. After hesitating for a moment, he continued, “It seems that our Silver-Sheathed Sword Saint, Lord Francis, has also reached the Saintly rank… Only that…” At this point, his eyes fell on the Sacred Flame Warrior standing in front of Prince Fischer, and he couldn’t help but mutter, “Indeed, it’s under the protection of the Holy Angels. So this divine artifact has fallen into Prince Fischer’s hands?” The faces of the several cardinals floating behind Anthony also changed. As key figures in the Holy See, they were well aware that the protection of the Holy Angels had always been in the hands of successive popes, yet now it was with Prince Fischer. The implications were quite clear… One impatient cardinal floated up behind Anthony and said solemnly, “Lord Anthony, given Prince Fischer’s current situation… should we go there?” Anthony shook his head and replied calmly, “We don’t need to go… From here, Francis must have sensed it. Otherwise, he would never have withdrawn his Saintly domain and holy combat energy. He has no intention of taking action tonight… and there’s no need for us to stay either.” The cardinal hesitated for a moment before saying, “But Prince Fischer…” Anthony waved his hand and pointed in the direction of the imperial capital, saying, “The court magicians have already arrived. It’s not our concern to worry about Prince Fischer’s safety… Let’s leave…” But as soon as he finished speaking, Anthony’s brows suddenly raised. He glanced quickly at Edward and smiled lightly, saying, “So it’s him. It seems tonight’s events are becoming even more interesting… I originally didn’t want to get involved in this mess, but it seems I can’t avoid it now… Lord Edward, are you interested in coming along?” Edward snorted and said, “If you’re coming, then come. Why all the nonsense?” With that, Edward lifted his wide robe and floated toward where Francis and Prince Fischer were. Anthony laughed, a flash of holy light appeared, and his figure vanished once again into the air. The cardinals with him quickly folded their arms, and soon, nothing remained in the air except the night wind.